Thursday, September 8, 2016

Diversity report

My library system has been on a diversity kick. For three years now the main administrative focus of my library has been towards increasing and improving the diversity of our libraries. Every In Service Day for these few years we have focused entirely on, or prominently featured, classes, discussions, plans, meetings, and brainstorming sessions based around diversity. We seek to improve the racial and cultural diversity of our staff. We hope to improve our service to a wide range of under served communities. We are serious about this!I do not object.And I am going to report on what we have learned.But I am not going to report on what we learned about, for instance, Black Lives Matter, or better serving the Hmong Community. We may have learned a few things about all that. I don't know, but we learned a great deal more about what our County and our library system means when they talk about improving diversity around here.When one is discussing institutions the proof is always and only in the pudding. And so here is what we've learned:1. The library is deeply committed to both mandatory and optional staff training, lectures, book clubs, and sessions around the subjects of diversity. These are rarely if ever specific to our jobs. Rather they are more interested in personal development and general enlightenment. No expense is spared as regards staff time and the hiring of speakers and lecturers.2. The library is not interested in practical applications. It has not come up in these sessions, and though we have in the past had things like printed library guides in a variety of languages, we found that printing them had become expensive. Signage, collections, policies, and displays remain the same.3. When it comes to hiring we are so dedicated to diversity we are willing to make sometimes even unwise hiring decisions in the interests of inclusivity. Hiring people of color has become a major consideration in our hiring decisions and the number of people of color working in our library has increased, a little. However, this is only true in relation to our lowest paying and lowest hierarchical jobs. The higher one goes in the organization the less it is true. Thus our student workers remain somewhat diverse, Circulation is a little more diverse, Librarians are also a little more diverse in the most paltry substitute positions, but tends to remain more or less homogenous in the more permanent positions, and all managers, directors, and department heads remain strictly White. White as the driven snow, white as a perfect cloud, white as a blank page. White as a lie.

Actually I think this is an essential point. The very idea of equity is all wrong. It's been coming up at my work for me a lot lately in non racial contexts, even in discussions with my manager. People are different. They bring different things, different experiences, different skills, and different burdens. Realistically if said white chick has an epiphany and decides on racial equity training, no matter what ridiculous things she may require of everyone else, she, and the County, should be able to say to any, for instance, African American employees "You know, for you all of this is optional. You can do whatever the fuck you want.

If you were wondering, yes, you should comment. Not only does it remind me that I must write in intelligible English because someone is actually reading what I write, but it is also a pleasure for me since I am interested in anything you have to say.

I respond to pretty much every comment. It's like a free personalized blog post!

One last detail: If you are commenting on a post more than two weeks old I have to go in and approve it. It's sort of a spam protection device. Also, rarely, a comment will go to spam on its own. Give either of those a day or two and your comment will show up on the blog.

Not so entertaining sort of legal exclaimer that seems wise to post if you think about it

I in no way speak on behalf of or in any way for the Library I work for, though if they would like me to I am sure we can come to an agreement.

My blog is not written or worked on during paid time and if it ever appears to be that is only for narrative umph and to reflect on my thought processes and experience as things happened.

Things here are fictionalized and obscured sometimes, and though I stand behind my portrayl of the spirit and feel of things it would be wrong to ascribe too much to a specific Library, event, or person.